On Technology

Ain't technology great? Well not always, but it sure has made a difference in our lives. The digital camera can produce spectacular results which can be instantly uploaded, touched-up, and made available for my cousin to see in Perth, Australia. No waiting until the roll of film is used up, developed and mailed. My GPS helps me navigate in unknown territory without a map (well usually--sometimes there are a few glitches when it is not up-to-date or I interpret its instructions wrong or it loses its connection). Given my poor night vision, I find it pretty handy at times in areas I am unfamiliar with. Now I can look up menus of restaurants and make hotel reservations in hotels halfway around the world--almost instantly! And sometimes it helps to see pictures of the rooms and neighborhood online, too. Sure beats the old days when there were occasionally some unpleasant surprises. . . Granted there are a few gadgets that I have no use for because they are not an integral part of the way I live, but that doesn't negate their value to somebody, I suppose. I have an iPod which is fine when I am sitting in an airplane with nothing else to do, but I find the earbuds awkward and a nuisance. Some gadgets like an iPhone would be nice to have but, price of the phone aside, the subscription alone would be prohibitive given my current budget. And yesterday I heard that an iPhone exploded because of an overheated lithium battery. . . makes me leary of those new lithium powered cars. . .